TW201918759A - Flexible substrate and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a flexible substrate and a manufacturing method thereof. The flexible substrate includes a hard layer, an organic functional layer and a backplane layer which arestacked, wherein the organic functional layer is attached to the backplane layer, a polarizing layer and a touch control layer are arranged between the hard layer and the organic functional layer, andthe touch control layer includes a conductive layer and a glass substrate coated with the conductive layer on one side. As the flexible substrate is provided with the glass substrate, a conductive material is applied to the glass substrate by a coating process to form the conductive layer, and the glass substrate coated with the conductive layer is stacked with other film layers to generate the flexible substrate, the possibility of reducing the cracking of the film layers in a bending process while reducing the thickness of the flexible substrate and the number of film layers is finally achieved.

Description

   Flexible substrate and manufacturing method thereof   

The invention belongs to the field of display technology, and in particular relates to a flexible substrate and a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate.

In order to meet the increasing application requirements of users, some existing smart terminals are equipped with a large-area display screen. However, the smart terminal equipped with a large-area display screen also has the problem of inconvenience. For this reason, some manufacturers have started to use flexible display screens to replace the ordinary display screens on smart terminals.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional flexible substrate includes a cover plate 11, an OCA (adhesive) layer 12, a TP (touch) layer 13, an OCA (adhesive) layer 12, and a POL (polarized light) which are sequentially stacked. Sheet) layer 14, TFE (thin film encapsulation) layer 15, OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) layer 16 and backplane film layer 17, among which the cover plate 11 in the existing flexible substrates that has the function of protecting the screen is PI (Polyimide) Or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) material, so ITO (conductive material) can only be made in the form of TP (touch) layer 13 for attachment, and can not be set with a lighter and thinner coating process.

In the existing flexible substrate, the approximate thickness of each film layer is as follows: the thickness of the cover 11 is 150 μm, the thickness of the OCA (adhesive) layer 12 is 25 μm, the thickness of the TP (touch) layer 13 is 50 μm, and the POL (polarizer) layer 14 The thickness is 75 μm, the thickness of the TFE (thin-film encapsulation) layer 15 is 15 μm, the thickness of the OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) layer 16 is 20 μm, and the thickness of the backing film layer 17 is 100 μm. That is, the overall thickness of a conventional flexible substrate is approximately 460 μm.

Because the existing flexible substrates are generally produced by a process of attaching the film layers to each other, problems such as a thicker screen body and a film layer breakage during bending are extremely easy to occur.

In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a flexible substrate and a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate, so as to solve the problems that the existing flexible substrate has a thicker screen body, a large number of film layers, and a film layer breakage during the bending process.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate includes a hard layer, an organic functional layer, and a back layer. The organic functional layer is attached to the back layer, and the hard layer and the organic functional layer are interposed therebetween. It includes a polarizer layer and a touch layer. The touch layer includes a glass substrate and a conductive layer coated on one side of the glass substrate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the polarizer layer is disposed on a side of the glass substrate of the touch-control layer that is not coated with the conductive layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the polarizer layer includes a PVA layer and a 1/4 λ glass layer. The 1/4 λ glass layer is applied to a side of the glass substrate of the touch-control layer that is not coated with the conductive layer. PVA The layer is provided between the glass substrate and the hard layer or between the glass substrate and the organic functional layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the flexible substrate further includes an adhesive layer disposed between the conductive layer of the touch layer and the PVA layer of the polarizer layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the flexible substrate further includes an adhesive layer disposed between the conductive layer of the touch layer and the organic functional layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible substrate further includes an encapsulation layer, and the encapsulation layer is disposed on the periphery of the film layer included between the glass substrate of the touch layer and the organic functional layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the hard layer is disposed in a manner of attaching or coating.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the glass substrate of the touch layer is 25 μm to 70 μm.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible substrate further includes a first flexible glass layer and a second flexible glass layer. A sealing layer is disposed between the first flexible glass layer and the second flexible glass layer, and the middle of the sealing layer includes an empty groove area. , And a hard layer, an organic functional layer, and a backplane layer disposed in the area of the empty groove.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible substrate further includes a first silicone oil layer disposed adjacent to the first flexible glass layer; and / or a second silicone oil layer disposed adjacent to the second flexible glass layer.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate, including: coating a conductive material on one side of a glass substrate to form a conductive layer; and providing a polarizer layer on a side of the glass substrate where the conductive material is not coated; The coating is hardened on the side where the polarizer layer is not in contact with the glass substrate to form a hard layer; the conductive layer, the polarizer layer, the hard layer, and the organic functional layer and the back plate layer that are stacked are laminated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate includes: coating a conductive material on one side of a glass layer to form a conductive layer; and coating a 1/4 λ glass on the other side of the glass layer where the conductive material is not coated. Sheet layer, laminating the PVA layer with the conductive layer; hardening the coating on the side where the PVA layer is not in contact with the glass layer to form a hard layer; the conductive layer, the PVA layer, the hard layer, and the laminated layer The organic functional layer and the backplane layer are laminated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the method for manufacturing a flexible substrate further includes: performing a packaging operation on a film layer between the glass substrate and the organic functional layer.

The flexible substrate provided in the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a glass substrate, and a conductive material is applied to the glass substrate using a coating process to form a conductive layer. The glass substrate coated with the conductive layer and other film layers are laminated to form a flexible substrate. In the end, the thickness of the flexible substrate and the number of film layers are reduced, and the probability of film breakage during bending is reduced.

S10 ~ S50, S21 ~ S22, S31‧‧‧step

1‧‧‧ first module material layer

101‧‧‧The first flexible glass layer

102‧‧‧Second flexible glass layer

103‧‧‧Sealing layer

1031‧‧‧ empty slot area

104‧‧‧Display Panel

1041‧‧‧ glass powder layer

11‧‧‧ Cover

12‧‧‧OCA (adhesive) layer

13‧‧‧TP (touch) layer

14‧‧‧POL (Polarizer) layer

15‧‧‧TFE (thin film packaging) layer

16‧‧‧OLED (OrganicLight-EmittingDiode) layer

17‧‧‧ back sheet

2‧‧‧ strain barrier

21‧‧‧hard layer

211‧‧‧elastic material layer

22‧‧‧ polarizer layer

221‧‧‧ Chamber

23‧‧‧Touch layer

24‧‧‧ Organic Functional Layer

25‧‧‧Backboard layer

3‧‧‧Second module material layer

30‧‧‧ Routing area

31‧‧‧hard coating

33‧‧‧ Ultra-thin glass layer

34‧‧‧ITO layer

35‧‧‧Pressure-sensitive adhesive layer

36‧‧‧Water and oxygen barrier rubber layer

41‧‧‧PVA layer

42‧‧‧1 / 4 λ slide

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate in the prior art; FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate provided by an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate provided by another embodiment of the present invention Figure 4 shows a structural schematic diagram of a flexible substrate provided by another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a structural schematic diagram of a flexible substrate provided by another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention A schematic top view of the provided flexible substrate; FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the flexible substrate provided by another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible substrate provided by another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a view of manufacturing a flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention A schematic flowchart of a method; FIG. 12 is a schematic flowchart of a flexible substrate manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In order to make the purpose, technical means, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a hard layer 21, a polarizer layer 22, a touch layer 23, an organic functional layer 24, and a back plate layer 25 which are sequentially stacked from top to bottom. The control layer 23 includes a glass substrate and a conductive layer (not shown in the figure) applied to one side of the glass substrate.

The specific implementation includes the following two situations:

The first case: the conductive layer in the touch layer 23 is applied to the upper end surface of the glass substrate (wherein the upper end surface is the upper end surface in the stacking direction shown in FIG. 2). At this time, the The glass substrate is in direct contact with the organic functional layer 24.

The directly contacting glass substrate and the organic functional layer 24 need to be adhered and fixed by means of an adhesive layer. In addition, in order to fully block the destruction of the organic functional layer 24 by substances such as water and oxygen from the outside, the periphery of the adhesive layer between the glass substrate and the organic functional layer 24 needs to be encapsulated to form an encapsulating layer. Peripherals that are not in contact with other film layers of the flexible substrate.

The second case: the conductive layer in the touch layer 23 is applied to the lower end surface of the glass substrate (where the lower end surface is the lower end surface in the stacking direction shown in FIG. 2). At this time, the A conductive layer applied to the glass substrate is included between the glass substrate and the organic functional layer 24. In addition, the touch layer 23 and the organic functional layer 24 should further include an adhesive layer (not shown), that is, the adhesive layer is disposed between the conductive layer and the organic functional layer 24, and the conductive layer and the adhesive layer are encapsulated. An encapsulation layer is formed by operation, and the encapsulation layer is disposed along the periphery of the conductive layer and the adhesive layer that is not in contact with other film layers of the flexible substrate, so as to fully block the destruction of the organic functional layer 24 by external substances such as water and oxygen.

In the second case of the specific implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the purpose of including an adhesive layer between the conductive layer of the touch layer 23 and the organic functional layer 24 is to firmly adhere to improve the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention. The stability.

It should be understood that the organic functional layer 24 may be both an OLED layer and a film layer having other functions.

In addition, the backplane layer 25 can be either a backplane film layer in a conventional screen body, or a backplane layer that integrates other functions.

The flexible substrate provided in the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a glass substrate, and a conductive material is applied to the glass substrate using a coating process to form a conductive layer. The glass substrate coated with the conductive layer and other film layers are laminated to form a flexible substrate. In the end, the thickness of the flexible substrate and the number of film layers are reduced, and the probability of film breakage during bending is reduced.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the hard layer is disposed in an attaching manner, that is, the hard layer is attached to an adjacent film layer in the form of a cover plate to improve the adaptability of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the setting method of the hard layer is a coating method, that is, the hard layer is applied to an adjacent film layer by a coating method. Compared with the attaching method, the coating method can reduce the thickness of the hard layer. , Thereby further reducing the probability of film breakage during bending.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the polarizer layer of the flexible substrate is disposed on a side of the glass substrate of the touch layer that is not coated with the conductive layer, that is, the polarizer layer and the conductive layer are respectively disposed on the glass substrate by means of the glass substrate. So that the glass substrate and the hard layer and the organic functional layer that are also disposed on the opposite sides of the glass substrate together form an effective protection for the polarizer layer and / or the conductive layer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a hard coating layer 31, a POL (polarizer) layer 14, an ultra-thin glass layer 33, an ITO (conductive material) layer 34, Pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35, OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) layer 16 and backplane film layer 17, and water and oxygen barriers along the periphery of the ITO layer 34 and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 that are not in contact with other film layers of the flexible substrate胶 材 层 36。 Rubber layer 36.

The flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention achieves the purpose of blocking the destruction of the OLED layer 16 by substances such as water and oxygen from the outside by providing a water-oxygen barrier adhesive material layer 36 (ie, an encapsulation layer).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the ultra-thin glass in the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is an ultra-thin glass having a thickness of 70 μm and a bending radius in a range of 3 mm to 5 mm, so as to reduce the thickness of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ultra-thin glass in the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is ultra-thin glass having a thickness of 50 μm and a bending radius in a range of 3 mm to 5 mm, so as to further reduce the thickness of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ultra-thin glass in the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is an ultra-thin glass having a thickness of 25 μm and a bending radius in a range of 3 mm to 5 mm, so as to further reduce the thickness of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

The approximate thickness of each film layer of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: the thickness of the hard coating layer 31 is 10 μm, the thickness of the POL (polarizer) layer 14 is 75 μm, the thickness of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is 70 μm or 50 μm, and the ITO layer 34 The thickness is 5 μm, the thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 is 7 μm, the thickness of the OLED layer 16 is 20 μm, and the thickness of the back plate film layer 17 is 100 μm. That is, the overall thickness of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is approximately 287 μm (when the thickness of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is 70 μm) or 267 μm (when the thickness of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is 50 μm).

The flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention defines the hard layer 21 of the flexible substrate provided by the above embodiment as a hard coating layer 31 provided in a coating manner, and the glass substrate of the touch layer 23 is defined as an ultra-thin glass layer 33. In addition, the method of limiting the adhesive layer to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 reduces the overall thickness of the flexible substrate and the number of film layers while ensuring the surface hardness of the screen body, and effectively avoids the problem of film layer breaks between the film layers and improves Bend reliability.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible substrate provided in the embodiment of the present invention replaces the POL (polarizer) layer 14 in the flexible substrate with a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) layer 41 and a 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42. Specifically, the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a hard coating layer 31, a PVA layer 41, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35, an ITO layer 34, an ultra-thin glass layer 33, and a 1/4 λ glass layer, which are sequentially stacked from top to bottom. The sheet layer 42, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35, the OLED layer 16, and the back sheet film layer 17, and the 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42 and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 along the ultra-thin glass layer 33 and the OLED layer 16 are not A water-oxygen barrier adhesive material layer 36 is provided in the periphery of the flexible substrate in contact with other film layers, and a water-oxygen barrier adhesive material layer 36 is provided to sufficiently block the external water, oxygen, and other substances from damaging the OLED layer 16.

The approximate thickness of each film layer of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: the thickness of the hard coating layer 31 is 10 μm, the thickness of the PVA layer 41 is 12 μm, the thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 is 7 μm, and the thickness of the ITO layer 34 is 5 μm. The thickness of the glass layer 33 is 70 μm or 50 μm, the thickness of the 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42 is 5 μm, the thickness of the OLED layer 16 is 20 μm, and the thickness of the backing film layer 17 is 100 μm. That is, the overall thickness of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is approximately 234 μm (when the thickness of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is 70 μm) or 214 μm (when the thickness of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 is 50 μm).

The flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is further reduced by retaining the functions of each film layer of the flexible substrate by replacing the POL (polarizer) layer 14 of the flexible substrate with a PVA layer 41 and a 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42. The overall thickness of the flexible substrate, and since the 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42 is also provided to the ultra-thin glass layer 33 in a coating manner, the flexible substrate provided in the embodiment of the present invention separates the film layers during the bending process The phenomenon has a more obvious improvement effect.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an adhesive layer (that is, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35) is provided between the conductive layer of the touch layer (that is, the ITO layer 34) and the PVA layer 41 of the polarizer layer, which can realize the film layer of the flexible substrate. The effective fixing between the substrates further improves the stability of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that, in an embodiment of the present invention, the PVA layer 41 and the 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42 may also be disposed on the same side of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 to fully improve the adaptability of the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Sex. For example, the ITO layer 34 is applied to the side of the ultra-thin glass layer 33 near the hard coating layer 31, and the PVA layer 41 and the 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42 are both disposed on the ultra-thin glass layer 33 and the OLED layer 16. At the same time, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 is used for adhesion, and the water-oxygen barrier adhesive material layer 36 is used for packaging operation. For another example, the PVA layer 41 and the 1/4 λ glass slide layer 42 are both disposed between the hard coating layer 31 and the ultra-thin glass layer 33, and the ITO layer 34 is applied to the ultra-thin glass layer 33 near the OLED layer 16. One side.

It should be understood that in the flexible substrates provided in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, the hard coating 31 may be replaced with the cover plate 11 in the existing flexible substrates, so as to improve the adaptability of the flexible substrates provided in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention. Compared with the flexible substrate in the prior art, the replaced flexible substrate can also achieve the technical effects of reducing the thickness of the flexible substrate and reducing the film breakage during the bending process.

In addition, it should be understood that, in the flexible substrate provided in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 35 can be replaced with the OCA layer 12 in the existing flexible substrate, so as to improve the flexibility of the flexible substrate provided in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention. Adaptability. Compared with the flexible substrate in the prior art, the replaced flexible substrate can also achieve the technical effects of reducing the thickness of the flexible substrate and reducing the film breakage during the bending process.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible substrate includes a first flexible glass layer 101 and a second flexible glass layer 102, a sealing layer 103 disposed between the first flexible glass layer 101 and the second flexible glass layer 102, and Display panel 104. The middle of the sealing layer 103 includes an empty groove region 1031, and the display panel 104 is disposed in the empty groove region 1031 of the sealing layer 103. The bottom area of the empty groove region 1031 is larger than the size of the display panel 104. The display panel 104 includes a polarizer layer. , Touch layer and organic function layer.

Flexible glass is flexible. After testing, the flexible glass can withstand 100,000 bending fatigue tests with a bending radius of 5mm. When the glass is thin to a certain extent, it shows the softness of the glass and can be bent without breaking. Ultra-thin flexible glass has the hardness, transparency, heat resistance, electrical insulation, air tightness, and oxidation and light environment of the glass. It has relatively stable mechanical and chemical properties, and can be bent and lightweight. In the embodiment of the present invention, specific thicknesses of the first flexible glass layer 101 and the second flexible glass layer 102 are not limited.

It can be seen that the embodiment of the present invention uses a flexible glass layer instead of the hard layer and the backing layer in the flexible substrate. Because the flexible glass itself has excellent stiffness and bending resistance, it can effectively solve the problem of contradiction between the stiffness and the prevention of film breakage of existing flexible substrates. At the same time, since the display panel 104 is disposed in the empty groove area 1031 between the first flexible glass layer 101 and the second flexible glass layer 102, and the size of the bottom area of the empty groove area 1031 is larger than the size of the display panel 104, such that when flexible When the display panel 104 is bent, the display panel 104 can slide relative to the first flexible glass layer 101 and the second flexible glass layer 102 in the empty slot area 1031, thereby alleviating the bending stress and effectively avoiding the inside of the display panel 104. The layer of the film layer further improves the bending resistance of the flexible substrate and the reliability of the product.

It should be understood that the specific shape of the hollow groove region 1031 of the sealing layer 103 may be adjusted according to the shape of the display panel 104. Generally, it is only necessary to be slightly larger than the display panel 104 and have the same shape as the display panel 104. For example, when the display panel 104 is rectangular, the empty slot region 1031 in the sealing layer 103 may also be rectangular, but the bottom area of the empty slot region 1031 is larger than that of the display panel 104, so that the display panel 104 is in a bending process. It slides in the hollow groove area 1031. The invention does not limit the specific shape of the hollow groove region 1031 of the sealing layer 103.

In an embodiment of the present invention, in order to make the display panel 104 slide more flexibly and smoothly in the empty slot area 1031 during the bending process, a first silicone oil layer may be provided between the display panel 104 and the first flexible glass layer 101, And / or a second silicone oil layer is provided between the display panel 104 and the second flexible glass layer 102. It should be understood, however, that even without the first silicone oil layer and the second silicone oil layer, the display panel 104 can slide in the empty slot area 1031. The present invention does not do whether the flexible substrate includes the first silicone oil layer and the second silicone oil layer. limited.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing layer 103 and the first flexible glass layer 101 and / or the second flexible glass layer 102 are adhered and fixed by an adhesive layer. The material of the adhesive layer may be a transparent optical adhesive (OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive)). However, the invention does not limit the specific material of the adhesive layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sealing layer 103 may be made of silicon rubber. Silicone rubber material can be elastically deformed with the change of bending stress, and has good bending resistance and sealing performance. However, it should be understood that the sealing layer 103 may also be made of other sealing materials, and the specific material of the sealing layer 103 is not limited in the present invention.

6 to 8 are schematic structural diagrams of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the flexible substrate includes a flexible glass layer 10 and a display panel 104 disposed inside the flexible glass layer 10.

The flexible glass layer 10 is composed of a first flexible glass layer 101 and a second flexible glass layer 102 with a groove in the middle. The first flexible glass layer 101 with a groove in the middle can be prepared by trenching in the middle of a piece of flexible glass by etching or the like.

It should be understood that the first flexible glass layer 101 with a groove in the middle can be prepared by itself or can be directly purchased through a glass sales company. The grooves can be made by processes such as etching. The source or manufacturing method of the first flexible glass layer 101 with the groove is not limited.

The display panel 104 is disposed in a groove of the first flexible glass layer 101. The display panel 104 can be disposed in the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101 by a bonding method using optical glue. Due to the existence of the grooves of the first flexible glass layer 101, the sliding range of the second flexible glass layer 102 is effectively limited, and excessive positional displacement of the second flexible glass layer 102 during the bending process is prevented, resulting in flexibility. The entire substrate fails.

The second flexible glass layer 102 is disposed on the display panel 104. The second flexible glass layer 102 is adhered to the display panel 104 through an optical adhesive. After the setting is completed, the upper surface of the second flexible glass layer 102 should be the same as the first flexible layer. The upper surface of the glass layer 101 is kept at the same level. In an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101 with the groove in the middle is larger than the cross-sectional area of the display panel 104. In this way, during the bending process of the flexible substrate, the display panel 104 can Sliding in the groove can further disperse the bending stress and avoid the failure of the display panel 104. And the second flexible glass layer 102 should be located in the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101. Due to the existence of the first flexible glass layer 101, the slippage of the second flexible glass layer 102 is effectively suppressed, and the bending resistance of the flexible substrate is improved. Fold characteristics.

It should be understood that the manner in which the display panel 104 is disposed in the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101 may be by optical adhesive bonding or by silicone oil bonding. When bonded by the silicone oil, the display panel 104 may be better positioned in the groove. Ground sliding to relieve bending stress, but the present invention does not limit the specific setting manner and the bonding material used.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the periphery of the second flexible glass layer 102 and the side of the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101 are encapsulated by a laser sintered glass powder process. The encapsulated glass frit layer 1041 is shown in FIG. 8. The laser sintered glass powder layer 1041 fills the gap between the periphery of the second flexible glass layer 102 and the side of the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101, thereby preventing external water and oxygen from entering the display panel 104 after the internal packaging is completed. The upper surface of the display panel 104 is covered with a second flexible glass layer 102, the lower surface and the sides are covered with a protection of a first flexible glass layer 101, and a glass powder layer 1041 is around for protection, effectively blocking the entry of moisture and oxygen. The water and oxygen barrier performance of the flexible substrate is improved.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, a flexible substrate provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes: a first module material layer 1 and a second module material layer 3 that are superimposed; and at least one of the first module material layer 1 and the second mold layer. The strain isolation layer 2 between the group of material layers 3; wherein, the strain isolation layer 2 includes a cavity 221 and an elastic material layer 211 surrounding the periphery of the cavity.

It should be understood that the module material layer is a functional unit constituting a flexible substrate, and each module material layer may be composed of multiple functional layers. For example, the module material layer may be a flexible display screen, a touch layer, and a polarizer layer. In order to distinguish different module material layers, the embodiments of the present invention introduce first and second qualifiers such as A module material layer 1 and a second module material layer 3, etc.

In the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention, a strain isolation layer 2 is provided between the first module material layer 1 and the second module material layer 3. Since the strain isolation layer 2 can effectively isolate the strain of the first module material layer 1 and the second module material layer 3, it can effectively prevent the first module material layer 1 and the second module material from occurring when bending deformation occurs. The transfer of strain between the layers 3 reduces the strain of the first module material layer 1 and the second module material layer 3, thereby significantly improving the bending resistance of the flexible substrate and improving the reliability of the product.

However, it should be understood that the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to include only the first module material layer 1 and the second module material layer 3 shown in FIG. 9, and may include more module material layers. In addition, a strain isolation layer 2 may be provided between two adjacent module material layers. In the embodiment of the present invention, the number of layers of the module material layer and which of the adjacent module material layers are provided with the strain isolation layer 2 are not specifically limited.

In one embodiment, the chamber 221 may be filled with a gas or may be in a vacuum state, and both can play a role of blocking strain. However, when the chamber 221 is filled with a gas, the air pressure inside and outside the chamber 221 can be balanced.

In one embodiment, the gas may be one or a mixture of several kinds of air or inert gas. Air resources are abundant and easy to collect. Filling the air in the chamber 221 can reduce the overall manufacturing cost of the flexible substrate. The gas can also be an inert gas. Since the inert gas has stable chemical properties and is not easy to chemically react with substances in contact with it, the use of the inert gas in the chamber 221 can increase the service life of the flexible substrate. However, it should be understood that the type of the gas in the chamber 221 is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, in an actual application scenario, the display panel 104 may also need to be electrically connected to an external circuit structure through conductive leads. This can be done by punching the surface (side, top or bottom) of the flexible glass layer 10 and then filling the hole with a conductive material to form a conductive lead electrically connected to the display panel 104. The conductive material in the hole and the hole The gap can be sealed with a sealing material. Alternatively, a conductive thin film extending to the outer surface of the first flexible glass layer 101 may be plated on the side surface of the groove of the first flexible glass layer 101, and the film may be etched into a pattern of conductive leads. The two flexible glass layers 102 and the first flexible glass layer 101 may be encapsulated. However, it should be understood that the display panel 104 encapsulated in the flexible glass layer 10 can also form an electrical connection with an external circuit structure in other ways, but the present invention does not limit the specific structure and formation of the conductive leads.

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, in addition to the first flexible glass layer 101, the second flexible glass layer 102, and the display panel 104 provided on the first surface of the first flexible glass layer 101 in the previous embodiment, the flexible substrate is also The wiring area 30 is disposed on the second surface of the first flexible glass layer 101. The second surface is a surface opposite to the first surface. The wiring area 30 is electrically connected to the display panel 104 on the first surface.

In this embodiment, the first surface of the first flexible glass layer 101 is the front surface, and a TFT array layer, an anode layer, an organic light-emitting layer, and a cathode layer may be sequentially disposed thereon. These functional layers together constitute the display panel 104, becoming The display area of the display device. The second surface of the first flexible glass layer 101 is the back surface. The routing area 30 is provided as a non-display portion at the corresponding position on the back of the first flexible glass layer 101, such as the peripheral edge area, which greatly reduces the non-display area on the front of the device. The area of the device allows the device to achieve the display effect of narrow bezels or even full screens.

In the display device provided in this embodiment, the routing area of the non-display portion is arranged on the back of the substrate, so that it is electrically connected to the front OLED module to complete the routing function, and greatly reduces the front of the display device. The area of the non-display area enables the device to achieve a narrow border or even a full-screen display, thereby enhancing the display effect of the screen and improving the user's visual experience.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first flexible glass layer 101 includes a via hole, and the circuit traces in the routing area 30 may be connected to the display panel 104 on the front side through the via hole in the first flexible glass layer 101. Specifically, the via structure can be provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the circuit traces, or one via can be set to correspond to multiple circuit traces, or one via can be set to correspond to all circuit traces. For the formation of via holes, drilling can be performed by laser or chemical methods, and the walls of the holes can be vapor-deposited with various conductive media such as copper. In this way, the circuit traces on the rear routing area 30 of the first flexible glass layer 101 can be electrically connected to the front display panel 104 through the vias.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the final display screen product to be prepared needs a preset curved surface shape (such as a 2.5D curved surface with a plane in the middle and curved surfaces around it, or a 3D curved surface with a curved surface in the middle and around it), A frame having the preset curved shape may be prepared first, and then the flexible substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention is installed in the frame. The perimeter of the frame may be smaller than the perimeter of the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate itself has a bendable property. When the whole body is mounted in a frame having a smaller circumference than the whole body, the whole body is bent from a plane to a curved surface.

In one embodiment, mounting the flexible substrate into the frame may include: attaching the frame to the entire periphery of the flexible substrate in a frame-attached manner. In order to ensure a more secure installation of flexible AMOLED panels and flexible glass, annular grooves can be provided on the inner surface of the frame.

The depth of the annular groove is preferably 3-5 millimeters, so as to ensure a secure installation and not to make the frame too thick. The width of the annular groove may be equal to the thickness of the flexible substrate.

The cross-sectional shape of the annular groove may be any of a U-shape, an arc shape, and a trapezoid shape.

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the method for manufacturing a flexible substrate provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes:

Step S10: Apply ITO to one side of the ultra-thin glass layer to form an ITO layer.

Step S20: Attach a polarizer to the other side of the ultra-thin glass layer that is not coated with ITO to form a polarizer layer.

Step S30: The coating is hardened on the side of the polarizer layer that is not in contact with the ultra-thin glass layer to form a hard layer.

Step S40: using a pressure-sensitive adhesive to perform an overlay operation on the OLED device and the film layer formed in the above steps.

It should be understood that the stacking operation in step S40 includes, but is not limited to, an attaching operation or a coating operation to improve the adaptability of the embodiment of the present invention.

Step S50: the water-oxygen barrier material is used for the packaging operation.

In practical application, ITO is first applied to one side of an ultra-thin glass layer to form an ITO layer, and a polarizer is attached to the other side of the ultra-thin glass layer not coated with ITO to form a polarizer layer, and then the polarizer is The side of the layer that is not in contact with the ultra-thin glass layer is hardened to form a hard layer. Finally, the OLED device (OLED layer and backplane adhesive layer) is laminated with the film layer formed by the above steps using a pressure-sensitive adhesive, and Water and oxygen barrier adhesives are used for packaging operations.

FIG. 12 is a schematic flowchart of a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the method for manufacturing a flexible substrate provided in the embodiment of the present invention replaces step S20 with steps S21 and S22 and step S30 with step S31, as follows:

Step S21: The other side of the ultra-thin glass layer not coated with ITO is coated with a 1/4 λ glass slide layer.

Step S22: The pressure-sensitive adhesive is used to bond the PVA layer and the ITO layer.

Step S31: The layer of the PVA layer that is not in contact with the ultra-thin glass layer is hardened to form a hard layer.

In the actual application process, ITO is first coated on one side of the ultra-thin glass layer to form an ITO layer, and then the other side of the ultra-thin glass layer not coated with ITO is coated with a 1/4 λ glass slide layer. The laminating operation of the PVA layer and the ITO layer is performed on the side where the PVA layer is not in contact with the ultra-thin glass layer to form a hard layer. Finally, the OLED device (OLED layer and backplane adhesive) is pressure-sensitively bonded. Layer) performing a lamination operation with the film layer formed in the above steps, and using a water and oxygen barrier adhesive to perform a packaging operation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a user terminal is further provided. The user terminal includes the flexible substrate described in any one of the above embodiments. The user terminal includes, but is not limited to, a user terminal such as a mobile phone and a tablet computer.

The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

    A flexible substrate includes a hard layer, an organic functional layer, and a back plate layer, which are attached to the back plate layer. The flexible substrate includes a polarizer layer and a polarizer layer between the hard layer and the organic functional layer. The touch layer includes a glass substrate and a conductive layer coated on one side of the glass substrate.         The flexible substrate according to claim 1, wherein the polarizer layer is disposed on a side of the glass substrate of the touch layer that is not coated with the conductive layer.         The flexible substrate according to claim 1, wherein the polarizer layer includes a PVA layer and a 1/4 λ glass layer, and the 1/4 λ glass layer is applied to the uncoated glass substrate of the touch layer. On the side covering the conductive layer, the PVA layer is disposed between the glass substrate and the hard layer or between the glass substrate and the organic functional layer.         The flexible substrate according to claim 3, further comprising an adhesive layer disposed between the conductive layer of the touch layer and the PVA layer of the polarizer layer.         The flexible substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an adhesive layer disposed between the conductive layer and the organic functional layer of the touch layer.         The flexible substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an encapsulation layer disposed on a periphery of a film layer included between the glass substrate of the touch layer and the organic functional layer.         The flexible substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a setting method of the hard layer is an attachment method or a coating method.         The flexible substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a thickness of the glass substrate of the touch layer is 25 μm to 70 μm.         A method for manufacturing a flexible substrate, comprising: coating a conductive material on one side of a glass substrate to form a conductive layer; providing a polarizer layer on a side of the glass substrate where the conductive material is not coated; and on the polarizer layer The side that is not in contact with the glass substrate is hardened to form a hard layer; the conductive layer, the polarizer layer, and the hard layer are laminated with the organic functional layer and the back plate layer, or includes: A conductive material is coated on one side of the glass layer to form a conductive layer; a 1/4 λ glass layer is coated on the other side of the glass layer that is not coated with the conductive material, and the PVA layer is bonded to the conductive layer ; Coating hardening on the side of the PVA layer that is not in contact with the glass layer to form a hard layer; superimposing the conductive layer, the PVA layer, the hard layer with the organic functional layer and the backing layer layered .         The method for manufacturing a flexible substrate according to claim 9, further comprising performing a packaging operation on the film layer between the glass substrate and the organic functional layer.